POLICY 77
Park Access: Make new and existing parks more accessible by biking and walking.
THIS POLICY SUPPORTS GOALS:
THIS POLICY RELATES TO TOPICS:
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A healthy park system consists of not only high-quality parks, but also a robust network of trails and walkway connections. Children especially need to be able to safely walk or bike to nearby parks. From bike lanes and multi-use paths to sidewalks and greenways, these routes should be comfortable, safe, and well-maintained, integrating signage, lighting, and safe road crossings. City parks and connecting networks can link to larger regional parks and trails to create a significant recreational and ecological amenity for the entire region.
ACTION STEPS
The City will seek to accomplish the following action steps to make new and existing parks more accessible by biking and walking.
- Continue to coordinate capital improvement planning between the City and Park Board in order to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections to and within parks.
- Consider and address physical barriers to park access, such as busy streets, lack of public transit options, and unsafe pedestrian crossings, when conducting citywide transportation planning.
- Improve wayfinding between parks and surrounding neighborhoods.
- Engage artists and communities in the development of place-specific identifiers for wayfinding.
- Discourage reduction to existing access to park amenities and encourage proactive mitigation of negative impacts to said potential reductions.
- Continue to utilize Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board planning documents and policies as a guide to determining park access and park location shortcomings.